Automatic electric hot water heating system



Jan. 390, 1934. E H, DucHEMIN 1,945,139I

AUTOMATIC ELEcTRIc HoT WATER HEATINGSTSTEM Filed oct. 27, 195o PatentedJan. 30, 1934 AUTOBIATIC ELECTRIC HOT WATER HEATING SYSTEM Edmond H. duChemin, Denver, Colo.

Application October 27, 1980. Serial No. 491,435

1 Claim.

This invention relates to improvements in heating systems of the typeemployed in connection with the heating of dwellings and otherbuildings, and has reference more particularly to an electrically heatedhot water heating system and to the radiator used in connectiontherewith.

The heating of buildings, and especially dwellings, by means of coal ismeeting with increased disfavor and in many places gas is beingsubstituted, which although more convenient than coal has severalobjectionable features which will not be mentioned herein.

With the high efficiency of present day generators, transmission linesand transformers, electricity can be transmitted at a very small lossand can be generated very cheaply by means of coal, Where the generatingstations are located at the coal mines and by water power and enginesoperating on natural gas.

It is evident that the most satisfactory Way of heating is by means ofelectricity as this is entirely free from dust and dirt, and has nodisagreeable odors such as possessed by gas, and it 25. is also freefrom danger due to explosions or poisoning, which quite frequently occurwhere gas is employed.

It is the object of this invention to produce an improved heating systemof the hot water type V in which the water is heated by means ofelectric heaters located at the radiators and independently controlled,so that each room may be maintained at any desired temperatureindependently of the temperature of other parts oi the building.

The present invention can be most clearly explained and will be mostreadily understood when reference ls had to the accompanying drawing inwhich the preferred embodiment thereof has been illustrated, and inwhich:

Fig. 1 shows a transverse section through a building equipped with myimproved hot water heating system;

Fig. 2 is a section through the lower part of one of the improvedradiators employed in this 4.5L system, and

Fig. 3 is a diagram showing the wiring connections to the electricheating element.

In the drawing reference numeral 1 represents a floor of a building, andnumeral 2 represents A the side walls, while the roof has been indicatedby reference numeral 3. For the purpose of illustration the building hasbeen shown as having two rooms A and B and an attic space C. Rooms A andB are separated by a partition 4, and the ceilings of these rooms havebeen indicated by referenoe numeral 5. Located within each room is a hotwater radiator 6. This radiator is of peculiar construction, which hasbeen illustrated in Fig.

2, from which it will be seen that it consists of a plurality oisections 'l that are hollow, and 60 which are connected at their lowerends by watertight joints 8. The connections between adjacent sectionshave large openings 9, through whichv a copper or brass pipe 10 extends.The ends of pipe 10 are provided with screw caps 11 that en- 65 gage theend sections and hold the radiator sections in assembled relation.Located within the pipe l0 is an electric heating element comprising acentral supporting bar 12 that carries a large Y, number of spacedcircular insulators 13. These Y insulators may be made from porcelain orany other refractory insulating material, and are provided with a numberof holes through which the resistance wire 14 extends. At one end ofpipe 10, four binding posts 15 have been provided. 75 The resistancewire is divided into three sections as shown in Fig. 3, and one of thebinding posts is connected to all of the sections and to one pole oi theelectric supply, which in the diagram shown in Fig. 3 has beendesignated as a battery 80 16. Conductors 17 extend from the other threebinding posts to a switch 18. This switch has a movable switch member 19that is pivoted at 20 and so arranged that it can make contact between asingle one or any number of the contacts g5 2l. A conductor 22 extendsfrom the movable Contact 19 to an automatic thermostatically controlledswitch 23. If the temperature exceeds a predetermined value, switch 23will automatically open, thereby cutting oif the current to the 910"electric heater. By manual adjustment of switches 18, either one, two orthree of the sections of the heater can be connected in the circuit soas to adjust the effectiveness of the heater to conform to therequirements. In cold weather e" it may be necessary to have all threeof the heater sections in operation, while on mild days one may besufficient, and in this way a large saving of current can be effected.

The specic construction of the heating elements forms no part of thisinvention, as any suitable electric heating element now on the marketcan be employed.

The radiator used with this system must be constructed in a differentmanner than the ordi- 105 nary radiators to this extent, that ahorizontal compartment or tank, represented by openings 9 in Fig. 2,must be provided at the bottom of the radiator and the radiator sectionsor columns must have the lower end connected with 11:0

this tank. A tubular member represented by pipe 10 extends through thetank and is entirely surrounded by water. By locating the resistancecoil or heating element within this pipe, there is no loss of heat asall of the heat must pass through the water and is therefore absorbed bythe water. Radiators that are suitable for this system can, of course,be constructed in specifically different ways, and the one illustratedis intended merely to show the general arrangement.

In the drawing an expansion tank 24 has been shown. This may be locatedin the attic and connected to the water supply by means of a pipe 25.This pipe is controlled by valve 26, and in addition to this theexpansion tank may have a float valve for the control of the admissionof water, although this is not an essential feature. Tank 24 is providedwith an overflow pipe 27 that is connected to the drain pipe 28 locatedin the basement or underneath the lowermost of the radiators. Eachradiator is connected with the drain pipe by means of pipes 29 that arecontrolled by valves 30. Each radiator is also connected with theexpansion tank by means of a pipe 31. The pipe 31 has branch pipes 32extending from it to the radiators, and these are provided with valves33 that control the flow of water to the radiators. When the radiatorsare to be drained, valves 30 and 33 are opened thereby permitting all ofthe water in the system to be drained into the sewer.

Having thus described the invention what is claimed as new is:

An electric radiator of the hot water type co1nprising a plurality ofseparate radiator sections provided near their lower ends withoppositely extending tubular projections, the projection on one sidehaving an internal rabbet and the one on the other side having anexternal rabbet,

`whereby a cylindrical flange is formed that fits into the internalrabbet, the end sections of each radiator assembly having their endsurfaces provided with openings that are concentric with the openings inthe tubular projections, but of smaller diameter, a pipe extendingthrough all of the sections in the assembly, the diameter' of the pipebeing substantially the same as that of the openings in the end surfacesof the end sections, the ends of the pipe being provided with threadsand caps, or the like, secured to the threaded ends of the pipe andengaging the end walls of the end sections to produce a force forholding the sections'in assembled relation, the interior of the pipeserving as a chamber for the reception of an electric heater.

EDMOND H. DU CHEMIN.

